Bankruptcy ruling impacts agricultureBy James R. GrebeFebruary 2009On October 31, 2008, Verasun Energy Corporation, et al., Debtors, filed a Voluntary Petition for Relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code), with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Delaware District, as Case No. 088-12606 (BLS). Verasun Energy Corporation and related entities engage in the business of producing ethanol.

Biofuels Law and Regulation Conference at the University of IllinoisBy Christopher J. Miller and Timothy A. SlatingOctober 2009Over the weekend of April 24th - 25th 2009, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted the first annual Biofuels Law and Regulation Conference as a forum for discussing legal issues regarding the development of sustainable, second-generation biofuels.

Claims against a decedent’s non-probate property in IllinoisBy Joel A. SchoenmeyerJune 2009Dealing with claims against an Illinois decedent’s non-probate property is critical in cases where the decedent’s probate estate is insufficient to pay all valid claims, or where no probate estate has been opened for the decedent.

The Doctrine of Merger: A vanishing ruleMarch 2009The Merger Doctrine still sees use in the state, although like many common law rules its position has changed over the years. As recently as 2008, the Illinois Supreme Court dealt with a case primarily focused on the doctrine, Czarobski v. Lata, 882 NE2d 536 (Ill 2008).

Farm Aid 2009By Jeffrey A. MolletAugust 2009Originated in 1985 in response to the farm crisis, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp have continued to use their fame as a bully pulpit for the agricultural community.

Humane care for animals in IllinoisBy Claire A. Manning and Michael MassieApril 2009A counter-view to the article, “Vote For Humane Farming and Nobody Gets (as) Hurt,” published in the May 2008 edition of the ISBA’s Ag Law Section newsletter.

Inside the too-speculative continuumBy Alan E. StumpfMay 2009A taxpayer advocating valuation of built in capital gains inside of the too-speculative continuum needs to start his advocacy with an understanding of what a willing buyer and a willing seller will take into account.

A new ripple on riparian rightsBy Edward BrandtAugust 2009The recent case of Alderson v. Fatlan dealt with a new twist on riparian rights—what rights are there with respect to a man-made private body of water?

New risk management and disaster guides available from FLAGDecember 2009The following is from a recent press release from Farmers&rsquo; Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG), a nonprofit law center based in St. Paul, MN, dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land. Certainly some valuable information for lawyers and farmers alike.